You and Me
by Craft Rose
Summary: It's prom, and Caroline finds herself alone with the big, bad Hybrid.


The music went from raucous 80s punk to something smooth and classic. The senior graduates of Mystic Falls High School paired off and swayed together, in perfect rhythm with the perfect song. Caroline glanced from left to right, watching her friends enter the dance floor, two by two. First were Elena and Damon, and second were Stefan and Bonnie. The young blonde turned to her left, where Matt had stood by the punch bowl, but Rebekah had lured him to the dance floor, which meant Caroline was alone for the night.

She had grown distant from herself during recent months, having thrown all her energy into two hopeless relationships with dismal results. Being a vampire wasn't the problem. It never was. In fact, vampirism had saved her. The human Caroline had been an insecure, bossy twit with a clipboard in one hand and a tight leash over all her friends in the other. It was a wonder how they had tolerated her for so long.

No matter. They would all go their separate ways soon enough. She had once dreamed of the future, going to college and fashioning herself a fabulous career in the heart of Manhattan, but everything had changed that past year. Her future was endless. The pressure was no more. Anything was possible, and that alone terrified her more than any supernatural creature she had ever encountered.

Caroline took a deep, calculated breath. She couldn't help but smile to herself, at how naïve she used to be. Prom wasn't the magical, fairytale evening she had dreamt about as a freshman. It was, in its core, a stupid tradition for which girls like her emptied their bank accounts, trying to match the perfect makeup look with the perfect hairstyle and the perfect dress with the perfect shoes.

She rolled her eyes. The music faded into the background, as she headed out onto one of many balconies through a pair of French doors. Caroline glanced down at the view overlooking Mystic Falls and felt a sense of foreboding. The town was peaceful. Something was bound to go wrong. Something had to be lurking in the bushes.

"May I have this dance?"

Her body turned hot and then cold, again and again and again. Caroline thought to slap his hand away, thereby rejecting his invitation, but her mystery man wasn't offering his hand. In fact, he had both placed her shoulders, one on either side, with his lips hovering over the flesh of her neck.

One bite. That's all it took.

After all, he'd done it before.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, quite angrily at that. "I thought you would be gallivanting somewhere on Bourbon Street."

"And miss prom?" His tone wasn't half as sarcastic as it could have been. "Not a chance."

Caroline rolled her eyes a second time that evening. "Let me guess…New Orleans wasn't how you remembered it."

Something about what she said turned his hands rigid. He released her, taking a step back as she faced him. "You're a clever girl."

"I'd like to think so."

"How about that dance?"

The former Miss Mystic arched an eyebrow. He wasn't joking. "You're not allowed inside, remember? Stefan and Damon made you sign some weird vampire blood contract thing and –"

" – We can dance out here," he interjected. "I much prefer the stars and moon as backlight, to whatever atrocities Rebekah picked out inside."

The arch in her brow heightened. "_I_ decorated the venue."

"You're ruining the moment, Forbes."

Caroline wasn't sure if it was the use of her surname in an almost Outsider-ish way, or the way the wind seemed to carry her into his arms, but she soon found herself with both hands in his, dancing to Ed Sheeran's famous track: _Give Me Love_. It was the same song, with the same man, but a different atmosphere. She wasn't dancing with him out of gratitude, for gifting her a gorgeous dress. This time was different.

She was dancing with him because she wanted to.

"You seem tense," he furthered.

She felt it, too. "Is that some sort of cheesy transition into a kiss?"

It was his turn to arch an eyebrow. "Feeling a bit bold this evening, aren't we?"

"I may have had a glass of wine before leaving the house," admitted Caroline. "Or three."

He smiled. "Then I suppose tonight isn't the best night to ask you to come with me."

The blonde paused. "Come with you? Where?"

"Anywhere you like," answered the Original.

Something tugged at her heartstrings. She glanced away, trying to shake the feeling from her chest. "You know I can't just up and leave."

"Why is that? Is it not your duty to discover the world on your own terms, now, as a graduate?"

"In college, sure. I can't exactly pack up and hike Mount Everest with you."

He laughed. He genuinely laughed. "I was thinking more along the lines of Vienna, or perhaps Seville."

"Oh – not Paris?" she asked, voice drenched in irony.

"Overrated," winked the hybrid.

Caroline had suspected as much, despite never having traveled outside the United States. "What about Kyoto?"

This seemed to have taken him by surprise. "Interesting."

"What? What's wrong with Kyoto?"

"Nothing. I just – I've never been."

There was a brief pause in their conversation, wherein the gap between their bodies grew slight. "All the more reason to go."

The Original slowly nodded in agreement, catching her gaze. "You never cease to surprise me."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

He smiled once more. "How's that wine settling in?"

"I've regained most of the feeling in my face."

They shared a laugh, hovering in that strange place between friends and enemies – perhaps something else. "Were you nervous for prom?"

Caroline half-shrugged. "To be honest, I think I just wanted the evening to be over and done with, as soon as possible."

"Why is that?"

She thought, for longer than it should have taken. "I don't like being alone."

"My apologies."

"It's not your fault," she added hastily.

"Don't be silly. I'm the one who sent Tyler packing."

Caroline's breath was caught in her throat. In truth, she had forgotten all about Tyler. He hadn't crossed her mind once that entire evening. She felt ashamed. She felt embarrassed. "I – Um – It's fine." The young woman mentally smacked herself. "I mean…it's not _fine_. I just – I –"

" – Stop."

She did.

"It's your right to move on," he said suddenly. "It's your right to heal."

There was something about the way he said those words that spoke volumes. "Let's not talk about Tyler."

The hybrid didn't so much as flinch. They continued to dance, all the way until the song finished. Another one started, faster this time, pumping in the background. The two on the balcony maintained their slow rhythm. Caroline felt his hands slide to the small of her back, and her own hands found their way to his chest.

"You're nervous," deduced the young woman. "I didn't think it was possible."

"Why is that?" asked the Original, amused.

"You're Klaus. Duh."

"I'm not allowed to be nervous around you?"

Caroline tried to ignore his resounding question. "I know what you're trying to do and –"

" – And?"

"I don't get it," she finished abruptly. "It's not like I'm some thousand-year-old vampire or something."

He tilted his head down, towards hers. "Your point?"

She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out. Instead, Caroline could do nothing else but hold her breath in anticipation. Everyone was inside, all her friends and even her mother. If one of them were to venture out onto the balcony, they would see, and God knows what would happen from there.

The only question was, did she care?

He brushed a thumb against her jaw line, sending shockwaves through Caroline's body. They stopped dancing. Everything was still. Even the cheers from inside had come to a halt.

They were close, so close she could count each of his eyelashes. The Original traced his thumb over her lips. "Would it be terribly rude of me to kiss you?"

Caroline's inhibitions vanished into the night. She didn't say anything – not one word.


End file.
